Thursday, March 8, 2012

Young Adult Titles You Don't Want to Miss This Month

Ethan Wate thought he
was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin,
his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home,
"strange" and "impossible "have taken on new meanings. Swarms of
locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as
Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming.
Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their
abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question
becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save
Gatlin? For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome
distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it
isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his
dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually
losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even
memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask. Sometimes
there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going
back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

Crossed by Ally Condie (Matched Trilogy # 2)

In search of a future
that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with,
Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the
Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving
a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to
question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a
different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and
certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an
unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the
key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game
once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses
and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

On A Dark Wing by Jordan Dane

The choices I had
made led to the moment when fate took over. I would learn a lesson I
wasn't prepared for. And Death would be my willing teacher.

Five
years ago, Abbey Chandler cheated Death. She survived a horrific car
accident, but her "lucky" break came at the expense of her mother's life
and changed everything. After she crossed paths with Death—by taking
the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and sky—she would never be
normal again.

Now she's the target of Death's ravens and an
innocent boy's life is on the line. When Nate Holden—Abbey's secret
crush—starts to climb Alaska's Denali, the Angel of Death stalks him
because of her.

And Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.

Dead To You by Lisa McMann

Ethan was abducted from
his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he
has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the
tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going
smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan
could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able
to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping
his memory blocked. Something unspeakable.

Fire by Kristin Cashore (The Seven Kingdoms Series # 2)

It is not a peaceful
time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel
lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains
and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.

This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and
hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster.
Equally hated and adored, she has the unique ability to control minds,
but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent
people. Especially when she has so many of her own.

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City. The royal family
needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from
home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever
dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.

If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Eleven minutes passed
before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by
her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating.
Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied
medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney
to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange
sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to
the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with
similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who
understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon
discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their
gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne

Plagued by waking
visions and nightmares, inexplicably drawn to the bones of dead animals,
Faye thinks she's going crazy. Fast. Her parents beleive Holbrook
Academy might just be the solution. Dr. Mordoch tells her it's the only
answer. But Faye knows that something's not quite right about Dr.
Mordoch and her creepy, prisonlike school for disturbed teenagers.

What's wrong with Holbrook goes beyond the Takers, sadistic guards
who threaten the student body with Tasers and pepper spray; or Nurse,
who doles out pills at bedtime and doses of solitary confinement when
kids step out of line; or Rita, the strange girl who delivers ominous
messages to Faye that never seem to make any sense. What's wrong with
Holbrook begins and ends with Faye's red hands; she and her newfound
friends--her Holbrook "family"--wake up every morning with their hands
stained the terrible brown of dried blood. Faye has no idea what it
means but fears she may be the cause.

Because despite the strangeness of Holbrook and the island on which
it sits, Faye feels oddly connected to the place; she feels especially
linked to the handsome Kel, who helps her unravel the mystery. There's
just one problem: Faye's certain Kel's trying to kill her--and maybe the
rest of the world, too.